Interview with the Mayors of Kristiansand and Johvi

What are your expectations for your own city in connection with the enlargement?

The enlargement includes parts of Europe with old culture that we feel as an important common heritage to take care of in the future. Also, we look forward to increased cooperation with other towns and regions in the new member countries within the areas of culture, tourism, sustainability, governance, competence building, and business. Especially, we find UBC network and our twinning city Gdynia important for future cooperation projects for common benefit.

How do you think that the identity of your citizens will be more European?

As the cooperation with the new member countries increases it will influence our citizens in feeling more fellowship and more relationship with this part of Europe.

In what direction do you think EU will develop after enlargement?

One can think of different changes in the EU as a result of the enlargement. Some of them could be: a stronger polarisation between South and North; among the leading parts of the world, EU will play a stronger and more powerful role; challenges within EU to bring the new member states up to the same living standard as the other member states; extended possibilities for cooperation in all fields that keep up a society.

Jan Oddvar Skisland
Mayor of Kristiansand, Norway

What are your expectation for your own city in connection with the enlargement?

City of Johvi is a regional centre and close to the future EU border. I hope that our city and region is going to develop quicker. New investments come here which guarantee more and better workplaces and opportunities to the citizens and our cooperation and everyday life is going to be more international. The EU enlargement helps us to fulfil our objectives according to city Development Plan and SPD via reinforced EU Structural aid as Estonia is eligible in Objective 1.

Do you think the identity of your citizens will be more European ?

Yes, I do. But my opinion is that we have always been Europeans.

In what direction do you think EU will develop after the enlargement ?

I believe that the official sector comes closer to citizens and we learn to live in more active cooperation and partnership with other countries and on different levels. As enlargement is generally a peace project then in the united Europe peace will be more secured. I am sure that in the future we can find beside us new member-states, for example Ukraine.

Aavo Keerme
Mayor of Johvi, Estonia